LOS ANGELES — On Monday, CEO Robert A. Iger stood outside The Walt Disney Co.’s executive office building and watched as it was renamed in honor of his predecessor, Michael D. Eisner.

The next day, Iger made his own mark on Disney history by announcing the purchase of longtime partner Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in stock.

In one bold move this week, Iger showed that he has his own vision for Disney and that he could do what Eisner could not — get along with the mercurial Steve Jobs, Pixar’s CEO. The feud nearly scuttled the profitable relationship between the two companies.

It was Disney’s biggest deal since Eisner’s purchase 11 years ago of Capital Cities/ABC. The $19 billion acquisition brought Iger, then president and chief operating officer of Cap Cities/ABC, to Disney.

Iger spent 20 years sharing power with such strong executives as Eisner and Capital Cities/ABC chairman Tom Murphy. When he ascended to the top spot at Disney last October, some questioned how he would handle being in charge. The Pixar deal served notice that he’s not afraid to make big moves.

“There are very few executives who can be a No. 2 guy for 20 years and then suddenly be comfortable making big, empire-changing decisions five months later, and this is one of those guys,” said Laura Martin, an analyst with Soleil-Media Metrics, a financial research firm.

Iger displayed his independence soon after taking over. He dismantled Eisner’s strategic planning department that had frustrated many Disney department heads by centralizing decision-making. The move put authority back into the hands of executives, an act that improved morale at the company.

Iger also reached a truce with dissident ex-board members Roy E. Disney and Stanley Gold, who had led a fight to oust Eisner and objected to Iger as his hand-picked successor.

Just 12 days after becoming CEO, Iger strode onto a San Jose stage and stood with Jobs to announce that Disney would sell episodes of its hit ABC shows for use on Apple Computer’s new video iPod.

But it was buying Pixar that most clearly drew the line between Iger and his predecessor.

Analysts praised the move as a way to restore Disney’s luster. While Pixar has had six box office hits since “Toy Story” was released in 1995, Disney has struggled, producing some modest successes and a number of flops.

The Pixar acquisition immediately vaults Disney to the pre-eminent position in animated film, Doug Mitchelson, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, wrote in a recent report.

Iger also gets credit for not turning his back on Eisner. In his first letter to shareholders issued earlier this month, Iger praised Eisner for his 21 years of leadership.

“He’s done it in the right way,” media analyst Harold Vogel said of Iger’s transition to power. “He’s smoothed all the ruffled feathers.”

Iger still faces challenges, including the daunting task of maintaining Pixar’s unique corporate culture while injecting some of that culture into Disney’s own animation unit.

Analysts say Iger could excel, given his experience working at two companies that were taken over by larger entities.

A close examination of the purchase agreement showed just how careful the companies were being in the handling of Pixar’s character. A special committee will be formed to meet at Pixar headquarters in Emeryville for a full day at least every other month to discuss cultural issues.

“Disney in a way is a blend of many cultures,” Iger told The Associated Press after the Pixar deal was announced.

The sports cable network ESPN, for instance, has maintained its headquarters and management in Connecticut long after being acquired as part of the Capital Cities/ABC deal.

Pixar will keep following its quirky compensation practice — including not having contracts for its employees — for at least five years following the acquisition, according to the documents.

Another untouchable was the arch that marks the entrance to Pixar’s campus. A clause in the deal states, “The Pixar sign at the gate shall not be altered.”

More in News

Around 8:20 p.m., a 50-year-old Oakland man was driving on eastbound I-580 lanes near Edwards Avenue when a bullet came through his windshield from an unknown direction, CHP Officer Matthew Hamer said.

Around 5:35 p.m., CHP officers responded to a report of the incident in westbound I-580 lanes at Main Street. En route, officers learned a vehicle's driver said a person in another vehicle brandished a handgun and fired a shot.

In addition to evacuating 10 neighboring homes, deputies restricted pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area while the sheriff's office bomb squad "safely disposed" of the explosives, officials said.